On 26 Mar, 09:13, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 19:18:21 on Wed, 25
Mar 2009, MLD remarked:

Walk down Euston to final Destination which is the Ibis Hotel Euston
(on Cardington St).

It would be useful to specify a precise destination when asking for
directions. I think there's a slight US-UK terminology issue here.

To the Brits "Euston" means "Euston Station".
To an American "Euston" can easily mean "Euston Road" (as we see above).


Please do take note of this MLD! If you ask the way to Oxford then
you're likely to be told how to get to Oxford, a city more than 50
miles away from London. If you want to get to Oxford Street, or Oxford
Circus, then make sure you say so! Same applies for Liverpool Street,
Victoria Street, Euston Road etc etc.

In message
, at
03:52:13 on Thu, 26 Mar 2009, Mizter T remarked:
$1.60
(about 0.7 pounds--70p?)

70 pence indeed - thankfully we ditched the confusing non-decimal
money back in 1971!

Although the rate is 1.445 at the moment so £1.10 (plus/minus 5% if you
are changing cash at a bureau).
--
Roland Perry

In message
,
Mizter T writes

On 26 Mar, 09:13, Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 19:18:21 on Wed, 25
Mar 2009, MLD remarked:

Walk down Euston to final Destination which is the Ibis Hotel Euston
(on Cardington St).

It would be useful to specify a precise destination when asking for
directions. I think there's a slight US-UK terminology issue here.

To the Brits "Euston" means "Euston Station".
To an American "Euston" can easily mean "Euston Road" (as we see above).


Please do take note of this MLD! If you ask the way to Oxford then
you're likely to be told how to get to Oxford, a city more than 50
miles away from London. If you want to get to Oxford Street, or Oxford
Circus, then make sure you say so! Same applies for Liverpool Street,
Victoria Street, Euston Road etc etc.

I'm sure if you Google you'll unearth me telling a quite incredible
story emanating from that confusion.......
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

In message , Ian F.
writes
"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...

I've avoided using buses in London most of my life. In fact despite
periods when I've been travelling three days a week in the centre of
London I honestly can't remember when I last caught a bus. Maybe 30
years ago. A combination of tube and walking is fine.

Depends on the journey of course but in Central London it is frequently
the best solution for me, I find.

Absolutely. I'd rather have needles stuck in my eyes than get a bus in
London. I'd tell you why but would rather not be branded a troll!

Oh, OK then, I'll take a chance - aggressive, snarling, charmless
drivers; foul-smelling chav passengers; no hint of a timetable; stuck
in traffic for hours at a time; sailing past stops ignoring furious
bell-ringing...

Must be a different London from the one I work in.

Are you sure you're not getting them confused with buses in
**Birmingham**, where I recognise the description much more readily!
:-)

I'd rather shell out for a cab, or walk.

I often enjoy walking, too.

However, I reserve the "needles in eyes" routine for cabs. I can't
explain it but I feel distinctly uncomfortable using a cab. Somehow
it's conditioned into me as being "wrong". Can't explain it (other
than resenting paying what it costs) but there you go.
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

In message , MLD
writes
Enjoying all the comments, especially seeing that it's all being done
in such a very pleasant and courteous manner. Don't see that too
often. After reading all the comments----- The WINNER is:
Get a PAYG Oyster upon arrival at Heathrow, Piccadilly Line to King's
Cross St. Pancras. Walk down Euston to final Destination which is the
Ibis Hotel Euston (on Cardington St). This seems like the least
complicated and the walk looks very doable--just be adding a little
mileage to the luggage wheels.

Yes, I;d say the same. From King's Cross Saint Pancras, you walk past
Euston Station (on your right hand side; it will look more like a set
of sixties office blocks than what you might expect a railway station to
look like!), then turn right into Melton Street immediately after the
station.

The Ibis in then just past the second turn on the left. (You won't
miss it; they don't exactly hide them,!)

Modifications anyone??
I must add--coming from the Boston area, your tube system makes ours
look like a kindergarten toy set.

I confers I rather like the MBTA system. Boston was the first American
city I ever visited and I still think it's the most charming of all of
the ones I've seen. (Interestingly, the other contender, San Francisco,
shares with Boston an extremely good public transport system.) Not
that I've been to that many, to be fair.

However, the cost is much less--we use a Charlie card (similar to the
Oyster) and as a senior, pay $1.60 (about 0.7 pounds--70p?)

More than that now.

Over 60s resident in England now get free bus travel throughout
Eng;land. Those resident in London also get free railed transport, as
they do in most other of our Metropolitan areas.

I appreciate that that won't help you. Perhaps if there hadn't been
that unfortunate incident with tea in your harbour all those years ago
the concession would have extended to you? :-))

I'll get my coat.......
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message
, at
03:52:13 on Thu, 26 Mar 2009, Mizter T remarked:
$1.60
(about 0.7 pounds--70p?)

70 pence indeed - thankfully we ditched the confusing non-decimal
money back in 1971!

Although the rate is 1.445 at the moment so £1.10 (plus/minus 5% if you
are changing cash at a bureau).

If you go into an exchange bureau you'll find that the spread on most
currencies has risen to +/- 10%

tim

On 26 Mar, 11:16, Roland Perry wrote:

In message
, at
03:52:13 on Thu, 26 Mar 2009, Mizter T remarked:

$1.60
(about 0.7 pounds--70p?)

70 pence indeed - thankfully we ditched the confusing non-decimal
money back in 1971!

Although the rate is 1.445 at the moment so £1.10 (plus/minus 5% if you
are changing cash at a bureau).

Yes sorry I wasn't looking at the exchange rate, just confirming the
units in use here and the appropriate terminology!

"Ian Jelf" wrote in message
...
In message , MLD
writes
Enjoying all the comments, especially seeing that it's all being done in
such a very pleasant and courteous manner. Don't see that too often.
After reading all the comments----- The WINNER is:
Get a PAYG Oyster upon arrival at Heathrow, Piccadilly Line to King's
Cross St. Pancras. Walk down Euston to final Destination which is the
Ibis Hotel Euston (on Cardington St). This seems like the least
complicated and the walk looks very doable--just be adding a little
mileage to the luggage wheels.

Yes, I;d say the same. From King's Cross Saint Pancras, you walk past
Euston Station (on your right hand side; it will look more like a set of
sixties office blocks than what you might expect a railway station to look
like!), then turn right into Melton Street immediately after the station.

The Ibis in then just past the second turn on the left. (You won't miss
it; they don't exactly hide them,!)

Modifications anyone??
I must add--coming from the Boston area, your tube system makes ours look
like a kindergarten toy set.

I confers I rather like the MBTA system. Boston was the first American
city I ever visited and I still think it's the most charming of all of the
ones I've seen. (Interestingly, the other contender, San Francisco, shares
with Boston an extremely good public transport system.) Not that I've
been to that many, to be fair.

However, the cost is much less--we use a Charlie card (similar to the
Oyster) and as a senior, pay $1.60 (about 0.7 pounds--70p?)

More than that now.

Over 60s resident in England now get free bus travel throughout Eng;land.
Those resident in London also get free railed transport, as they do in
most other of our Metropolitan areas.

I appreciate that that won't help you. Perhaps if there hadn't been that
unfortunate incident with tea in your harbour all those years ago the
concession would have extended to you? :-))

I'll get my coat.......
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

Oh Ian, you were doing so good g and then you had to remind everyone that
at one time there were a few disagreements between UK and the Colonies.
Since you've been to Boston you must know that the city is loaded with
historic sights and reminders of what went on during the late 1700's--I'm
sure that you must have spent some time walking the Freedom Trail.
Anyway--back to transportation-- the tube ("Subway" here) Senior fare
started out at $0.10 (7p?), followed by rather modest increase for a while.
And then in a rather rapid escalation it made it's way up to the current
cost of the $1.60 (1.1 GBP). I'm about 10 mi. North of Boston--20 min drive
to a subway station and then another 20 min to get into downtown Boston.
One never drives into Boston unless you have a Death Wish--what was once cow
paths are now one-way meandering streets aimed solely to confuse the driver.
But on the other hand, it is a great, very walkable city--no need to use the
"tube" to get around, you can just about walk everywhere.
You guys have all been so helpful, how about a little off-topic suggestions?
With the Ibis Euston Hotel as my base, what is the best way to attack
(figuratively,that is) the city. Given six days, what is the best way to
break it down into sections? Is it best to take a city tour first or get on
one of those "Hop-on-Hop-Off" buses? I'm open to all suggestions on how to
maximize our time in your city; we don't want to be running around in random
back and forth, wasting lots of time kind of thing.
MLD

"MLD" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

how about a little off-topic suggestions? With the Ibis Euston Hotel as
my base, what is the best way to attack (figuratively,that is) the city.
Given six days, what is the best way to break it down into sections?

I s'pose the first question is "What do you want to see & do?"

I'm presuming you've got a good guidebook - figure out some of the "Must
See!" things/places/attractions, and some rough headings to give us
something to get our teeth into.

D'you want to stay totally in the city, or would you be open to a day out?
D'you want to do the "headline" sights, or would be be open to some of
the lesser-known joys?
Budget's also a factor, I presume - are you 5*-all-the-way people, or are
you happy to trade off a bit of luxury for some "reality"?

"Adrian" wrote in message
...
"MLD" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

how about a little off-topic suggestions? With the Ibis Euston Hotel as
my base, what is the best way to attack (figuratively,that is) the city.
Given six days, what is the best way to break it down into sections?

I s'pose the first question is "What do you want to see & do?"

I'm presuming you've got a good guidebook - figure out some of the "Must
See!" things/places/attractions, and some rough headings to give us
something to get our teeth into.

D'you want to stay totally in the city, or would you be open to a day out?
D'you want to do the "headline" sights, or would be be open to some of
the lesser-known joys?
Budget's also a factor, I presume - are you 5*-all-the-way people, or are
you happy to trade off a bit of luxury for some "reality"?

Didn't want to clutter up the NG with a lot of specific OT subject
matter---but since you asked--
I've got the guide book, do want to take in the typical tourist attractions
but am open to the the quote: "lesser-known joys"---- the out of the way
local places off the beaten path, especially some good eating places. We
certainly are not 5* people; maintaining control of the spending is
important but. at the same time, we're not the hostel type either. We've
traveled many years in a "Pop Up" (Tent Trailer) all over the States,
sleeping 4 kids; places with no water or electricity hookups--so "reality"
is not something we'll shy away from. Most important, however, is to not
waste a lot of time running around in a haphazard inefficient manner. Most
likely, will spend all our time in the city.
Thanks for your time
MLD